I absolutely adore romance books, but I never read them. Why? Because they are just so darn predictable. It is always the same thing; they fall in love, one of them leaves, they find their way back to each other, and blah blah blah. But, since this book came out, my friends have told me to read it, telling me that it was so different than they expected. I, ever the bookworm, could not resist a new book to read.

I did not have high hopes for this book, I really didn’t. The preface was not all that interesting and I was already wary of reading yet another romance novel. But, let me tell you, I was blindsided by how utterly amazing it was, and managed to read it less than a day. It truly was nothing like any other romance novel I have ever read because it was not at all about the romance; instead, it was about friendship and finding oneself with a romantic sub-plot weaved in. Every single character was amazingly realistic and relate able, and the emotions Dessen that describes her characters going through were right on the spot. As a teenager, I found myself connecting and relating to almost everything they were experiencing. The entire plot was centered not around the romance of the main character, but rather about how she finds herself through a group of unlikely friends, and grows as a person through her relationship. Within the book, there were life lessons being taught to the characters, and so, at the same time I as the reader was also learning those lessons. There was no unnecessary and over-exaggerated drama, setting it apart from the plethora of romance books out there.

However, this book was not perfect and I pride myself in finding faults even in almost every book. There was only one thing in the book that bothered me, and it was the few instances of repetition. In a few chapters of the book, it seemed as thought there were similar scenes occurring. It could just be me and my super critical eye, but the repetition was there. But, it is a very small thing, and it did not at all take away from the overall impact of the book.

I would 100% recommend this book because in all honesty, it is very unique. It provided a different perspective for romance novels, weaving in teenage life lessons, all while managing to keep the romance incorporated. That is seriously no easy feat (take it from both a serious reader and writer).

Until next time, let this following quote make you smile –“whatever happens in a romance novel doesn’t always have to stay there.”

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